Transition of Nic Services
The Network Information Center moved to a new organization in October 1991.
Williamson, S. and L. Nobile, "Transition of Nic Services", RFC 1261, DOI 10.17487/RFC1261, September 1991, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc1261>.
@misc{rfc1261,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 1261,
howpublished = {RFC 1261},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC1261},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc1261},
author = {S. Williamson and L. Nobile},
title = {{Transition of Nic Services}},
pagetotal = 3,
year = 1991,
month = sep,
} RFC text
Contents
Network Working Group S. Williamson
Request for Comments: 1261 L. Nobile
Network Solutions
September 1991
TRANSITION OF NIC SERVICES
Status of this Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does
not specify an Internet standard. Distribution of this memo is
unlimited.
Discussion
The transition of the Network Information Center from SRI
International in Menlo Park, CA, to Government Systems Inc. in
Chantilly, VA, is officially scheduled for 1 October 1991. This
includes the transition of services currently offered to DDN and
Internet users by SRI. These services include network/user
registration (i.e., network number and top level domain name
assignment), on-line information services, and Help Desk operations.
GSI will also continue RFC and Internet-Draft archive and
distribution services.
SRI will continue to provide all NIC services and respond to all user
calls and requests until 30 September 1991.
Defense Information System Agency (DISA) and GSI will make every
effort to ensure a smooth and timely transition of NIC services from
SRI. Network users should be minimally impacted. With a few minor
exceptions, all on-line services currently offered by SRI will appear
the same to the user when a connection is established to the new
(GSI) NIC host. These exceptions are due to the change from the
TOPS20 operating system to the SunOS operating system. The new NIC
host is a Sun 470 SPARCserver running SunOS 4.1. All users on the
DDN and the Internet should carefully note the following changes:
U.S. Postal Address: Government Systems, Inc.
Attn: Network Information Center
14200 Park Meadow Drive
Suite 200
Chantilly, VA 22021
Help Desk Telephone Numbers:
1-800-365-3642 (1-800-365-DNIC)
1-703-802-4535
Help Desk Hours of Operation:
7:00 am to 7:00 pm Eastern Time
Fax Number: 1-703-802-8376
Network Address: 192.112.36.5 (NIC.DDN.MIL)
Root Domain Server: 192.112.36.4 (NS.NIC.DDN.MIL)
During the period of 26 to 30 September 1991 the ID (WHOIS) database
will not be changed. All registration actions for this five day
period will be suspended. This action is necessary in order to
transfer the master database to GSI. Starting 26 September 1991, all
U.S. mail and fax requests should be directed to the GSI address and
fax number shown above. All electronic mail requests should continue
to be directed to the "HOSTMASTER" and "REGISTRAR" mailboxes at
NIC.DDN.MIL. As appropriate, SRI will redirect electronic mail to
GSI. On 1 October 1991 all registration activities will resume.
We hope that the transition and its accompanying changes will not
greatly inconvenience network users, and we thank you in advance for
your patience and understanding. For general questions regarding the
transition, users may call the new NIC Help Desk after September 1,
1991 at 1-800-365-3642/703-802-4535 or send an e-mail message to
nic@diis.ddn.mil.
Security Considerations
Security issues are not discussed in this memo.
Authors' Addresses
Scott Williamson
Network Solutions, Inc.
505 Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon, VA 22070
Phone: (703) 802-8405
EMail: scottw@DIIS.DDN.MIL
Leslie Nobile
Network Solutions, Inc.
505 Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon, VA 22070
Phone: (703) 802-8456
leslie@DIIS.DDN.MIL
AI ELI5
On this page
§1The NIC Transition
The Network Information Center (NIC) maintained critical information for the Internet: network numbers, domain name registrations, RFC archives, and a Help Desk for users. This document announces the formal transition of NIC services from SRI International in Menlo Park, California, to Government Systems Inc. in Chantilly, Virginia, effective October 1, 1991.
SRI would continue providing all services and responding to user requests through September 30, 1991, ensuring time for the transfer.
The office keeping Internet records moved to a new location. For a month, both places helped users, then only the new place stayed open.
§2New Contact Information and Systems
The new NIC at Government Systems Inc. operated from Chantilly, Virginia. The Help Desk telephone numbers became 1-800-365-DNIC (1-800-365-3642) and 1-703-802-4535, with hours from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern Time. The fax number was 1-703-802-8376.
The new NIC host was a Sun 470 SPARCserver running SunOS 4.1, replacing the previous TOPS20 operating system. The network address remained 192.112.36.5 (NIC.DDN.MIL), and the root domain server was 192.112.36.4 (NS.NIC.DDN.MIL). Most on-line services appeared the same to users, with minor differences due to the operating system change.
The new office had different phone numbers and computers, but the services stayed mostly the same.
§3Transition Timeline and Database Freeze
From September 26 to September 30, 1991, the ID database (WHOIS) was frozen and registration actions were suspended to allow the master database to be transferred to GSI. Starting September 26, all U.S. mail and fax requests were directed to the new GSI address and fax number. Electronic mail requests continued to go to the HOSTMASTER and REGISTRAR mailboxes at NIC.DDN.MIL, with SRI redirecting them to GSI as appropriate.
Registration activities resumed on October 1, 1991, when the new NIC officially took over operations.
During the move, the database could not change to avoid losing information. Once moved, everything went back to normal.